A small act on your part to brighten an animal's life

[Pariah Dog]

Like the title suggests. What is some small thing you've done to make an animal's life a little better at some point? I'll start.

One time I was leaving a used book store and headed back to my car which was parallel parked on the street. I noticed a magpie pecking and trying to get at a sandwich in the middle of the lightly traveled street about 50 feet away from me. The sandwich was in one of those hard clear plastic containers you get when you buy a sandwich from a supermarket deli counter. Before I moved to Alberta, Canada I had never seen or heard of the bird called magpie and didn't know what that was. For those not in the know they are a scavenging bird and believed to be among the most intelligent of bird species, which would place them somewhere high up the list of intelligence when compared to all animals world wide. They are a little smaller than a crow. Here is a picture of one.

Watching the bird struggle in frustration to get the sandwich container open I had to empathize with it. I got in my car and started to drive away. I wanted to help the bird out if I didn't have to go out of my way too far. I aimed to drive over the sandwich container and hopefully break it open. If I was to miss... oh well sorry bird I made an effort. I drove off and skillfully rolled the left side tires over the container. When I looked in the mirror I had broke the container so it sprung wide open. The magpie quickly moved in with delight to chow down on the now probably squished sandwich (there is a chace I just crushed the edge of the container and didn't touch the sandwich).

 

[Streetwise]

allowing socks(the biggest male cat ) to stand or lie on my lap, hes desperate to do it .
giving a tiger(like the markings of a european wildcat but greeny creamy very light brown) slug(dont know if its indigenous to the uk)some ground almond it cleaned the floor

Like the title suggests. What is some small thing you've done to make an animal's life a little better at some point? I'll start.

One time I was leaving a used book store and headed back to my car which was parallel parked on the street. I noticed a magpie pecking and trying to get at a sandwich in the middle of the lightly traveled street about 50 feet away from me. The sandwich was in one of those hard clear plastic containers you get when you buy a sandwich from a supermarket deli counter. Before I moved to Alberta, Canada I had never seen or heard of the bird called magpie and didn't know what that was. For those not in the know they are a scavenging bird and believed to be among the most intelligent of bird species, which would place them somewhere high up the list of intelligence when compared to all animals world wide. They are a little smaller than a crow. Here is a picture of one.

Watching the bird struggle in frustration to get the sandwich container open I had to empathize with it. I got in my car and started to drive away. I wanted to help the bird out if I didn't have to go out of my way too far. I aimed to drive over the sandwich container and hopefully break it open. If I was to miss... oh well sorry bird I made an effort. I drove off and skillfully rolled the left side tires over the container. When I looked in the mirror I had broke the container so it sprung wide open. The magpie quickly moved in with delight to chow down on the now probably squished sandwich (there is a chace I just crushed the edge of the container and didn't touch the sandwich).

 

[wight]

I live out in the rural countryside, so I come across animals fairly frequently. Most often my acts of kindness are slowing down to avoid hitting some small creature in the road (squirrels, birds, turtles, dogs, cats, skunks, etc.)

We have dogs that love to chase frogs, toads, bugs, salamanders, skinks, etc. When I can, I "rescue" the little things and drop them outside the fence. Spiders on the patio being the exception, they get squished.

Generally, my attitude is to coexist as much as possible with nature. This has proven to be mutually beneficial, the spiders, bats, and birds keep the insect population under control. Feral cats and dogs, along with owls and hawks keep the rodent population under control. Coyotes keep the feral cat and dog population under control. Raccoons, crows, buzzards, and other scavengers keep the squished animal and dropped garbage population under control.

Sorry to the yellow jackets that had a nest in the yard and stung me, but you had to go.

 

[Mia]

I've done a lot of things for animals both domestic and wild. While walking my dog in the city I noticed that people were stopping for a moment to look at something to their left and then kept walking.

When I got to the area on a grassy lawn, there was something moving around. I tied up my dog, who was starting to bark and point. It was a large seagull, tangled in a fishing lure. The multitude of hooks had pierced its beak and one wing and it's foot. People kept passing by, looking but doing nothing, I went into the commercial building the seagull was in front of and asked for pliers, they had none. The lure looked something like this one:

So I went home with the dog quickly. Woke my husband, it was a sunday morning. "Get the car, it's an emergency". I picked up a cooler I had and a towel. We drove back to the area quickly, parked. I'd never handled a bird that size, and I was afraid to break it's wings while picking it up. I threw a large towel over it, and gently put it in the large plastic cooler without the top on. The bird stopped struggling immediately. It went all quiet. We drove as I tried to think about where the bird could be taken. I needed an emergency Vet. My local Vet was nearby.

So we went there first. I didn't have much hope that anyone would be there on a sunday morning. I knocked and knocked, and surprise, the Vet was there with his young daughter, feeding his patients, as he lived above his vet practice.

I told him what was up, what I had, and I brought the bird in. I suggested that his daughter who was about six, not see what was going on, as it was pretty gruesome.

His daughter helped and was used to doing this! She got things from the dispensary as we anesthetized the bird slightly and began the long process of cutting the hooks out of the beak, wing and foot. The bird watched us the entire time, and I kept my eyes on a beak that could pierce bone. But it didn't attack us or panic. He cleaned and sewed up the injuries, after we removed the hooks. Gave the bird a full syringe of antibiotics.

Then I asked him what I should do with the seagull. "It's going to need a couple of days of recovery inside", he said. "It shouldn't fly for at least a few days, some of the small muscles in one of its wings is ripped. I'm not set up for wild birds here, bring it home, and keep it in a room by itself." I thanked him for his help, and waited to pay the bill. No charge, he said, then he winked at me, "were all in this together".

So I brought the bird to my apartment, which had a spare room. I covered the floor with newspapers. He'd advised me to feed the bird liquefied canned cat food and to give him lots of water. Several times a day I went in as the bird walked around, and with a large syringe fed the bird this liquefied food. The bird took the food, and it drank water. I was afraid the bird would attack me, but it never did.

By the third day, as I went in with food, he pecked at the bowl holding the food and looked directly at me and I could see that he was stronger. I put the bowl on the floor, and he drank all of the liquefied cat food, then he drank water. I waited, then I opened the door of the room, which was right in front of the balcony to the outside. The bird hopped up the stairs and out onto the balcony, then hopped onto the railing, turned around for a moment and looked at me and flew away.

 

[Streetwise]

I've done a lot of things for animals both domestic and wild. While walking my dog in the city I noticed that people were stopping for a moment to look at something to their left and then kept walking.

When I got to the area on a grassy lawn, there was something moving around. I tied up my dog, who was starting to bark and point. It was a large seagull, tangled in a fishing lure. The multitude of hooks had pierced its beak and one wing and it's foot. People kept passing by, looking but doing nothing, I went into the commercial building the seagull was in front of and asked for pliers, they had none. The lure looked something like this one:

So I went home with the dog quickly. Woke my husband, it was a sunday morning. "Get the car, it's an emergency". I picked up a cooler I had and a towel. We drove back to the area quickly, parked. I'd never handled a bird that size, and I was afraid to break it's wings in picking it up. I threw a large towel over it, and gently put it in the large plastic cooler without the top on. The bird stopped struggling immediately. It went all quiet. We drove as I tried to think about where the bird could be taken. I needed an emergency Vet. My local Vet was nearby.

So we went there first. I didn't have much hope that anyone would be there on a sunday morning. I knocked and knocked, and surprise, he was there with his young daughter, feeding his patients as he lived above his vet practice.

I told him what was up, what I had, and I brought the bird in. I suggested that his daughter who was about six, not see what was going on, as it was pretty gruesome.

His daughter helped and was used to doing this! She got things from the dispensary as we anesthetized the bird slightly and began the long process of cutting the hooks out of the beak, wing and foot. The bird looked at us the entire time, and I kept my eyes on a beak that could break bone. But it didn't attack us. He cleaned and sewed up the injuries, after we removed the hooks. Gave the bird an antibiotic shot.

Then I asked him what I should do with the seagull. "It's going to need a couple of days of recovery inside", he said. "It shouldn't fly for at least a few days, some of the small muscle in one of its wings is severed. I'm not set up for birds here, bring it home, and keep it in a room by itself." I thanked him for his help, and waited to pay the bill. No charge, he said, then he winked at me, "were all in this together".

So I brought the bird to my apartment, which had a spare room. I papered the floor with newspapers. He'd advised me to feed the bird liquefied canned cat food and to give him lots of water. Several times a day I went in as the bird walked around, and with a large syringe fed the bird this liquefied food. The bird took the food, and it drank water. I was afraid the bird would attack me, but it never did.

By the third day, as I went it with food, it pecked at the bowl holding the food and looked straight at me and I sensed he was stronger. I put the bowl on the floor, and it ate all of the liquefied cat food, then it drank. I waited, then I opened the door of the room, which was right in front of the balcony to the outside. The bird walked up the stairs and out onto the balcony, it hopped onto the railing, turned around for a moment and looked at me and then flew off.

oh im crying again

 

[Pariah Dog]

I've done a lot of things for animals both domestic and wild. While walking my dog in the city I noticed that people were stopping for a moment to look at something to their left and then kept walking.

When I got to the area on a grassy lawn, there was something moving around. I tied up my dog, who was starting to bark and point. It was a large seagull, tangled in a fishing lure. The multitude of hooks had pierced its beak and one wing and it's foot. People kept passing by, looking but doing nothing, I went into the commercial building the seagull was in front of and asked for pliers, they had none. The lure looked something like this one:

So I went home with the dog quickly. Woke my husband, it was a sunday morning. "Get the car, it's an emergency". I picked up a cooler I had and a towel. We drove back to the area quickly, parked. I'd never handled a bird that size, and I was afraid to break it's wings in picking it up. I threw a large towel over it, and gently put it in the large plastic cooler without the top on. The bird stopped struggling immediately. It went all quiet. We drove as I tried to think about where the bird could be taken. I needed an emergency Vet. My local Vet was nearby.

So we went there first. I didn't have much hope that anyone would be there on a sunday morning. I knocked and knocked, and surprise, he was there with his young daughter, feeding his patients as he lived above his vet practice.

I told him what was up, what I had, and I brought the bird in. I suggested that his daughter who was about six, not see what was going on, as it was pretty gruesome.

His daughter helped and was used to doing this! She got things from the dispensary as we anesthetized the bird slightly and began the long process of cutting the hooks out of the beak, wing and foot. The bird looked at us the entire time, and I kept my eyes on a beak that could pierce bone. But it didn't attack us. He cleaned and sewed up the injuries, after we removed the hooks. Gave the bird an antibiotic shot.

Then I asked him what I should do with the seagull. "It's going to need a couple of days of recovery inside", he said. "It shouldn't fly for at least a few days, some of the small muscle in one of its wings is severed. I'm not set up for birds here, bring it home, and keep it in a room by itself." I thanked him for his help, and waited to pay the bill. No charge, he said, then he winked at me, "were all in this together".

So I brought the bird to my apartment, which had a spare room. I papered the floor with newspapers. He'd advised me to feed the bird liquefied canned cat food and to give him lots of water. Several times a day I went in as the bird walked around, and with a large syringe fed the bird this liquefied food. The bird took the food, and it drank water. I was afraid the bird would attack me, but it never did.

By the third day, as I went in with food, he pecked at the bowl holding the food and looked straight at me and I could see that he was stronger. I put the bowl on the floor, and he drank all of the liquefied cat food, then he drank water. I waited, then I opened the door of the room, which was right in front of the balcony to the outside. The bird walked up the stairs and out onto the balcony, he hopped onto the railing, turned around for a moment and looked at me and flew away.

Wow, that is much more than a small thing to improve an animals life. It goes against the spirit of this thread! Just kidding, that was pretty awesome.

 

[I don't want have a name!]

I am going once a week (on Sunday) to animal shelter in our city, and walking with dogs, and I started to "fully-tame" one of our dogs, my favourite one! He is somewhat crazy in shelter he will bite, bark and look rather dangerous, probably he is scared of situation and REALLY BORED, but when we are on walk he is sooo CUTE! INTELLIGENT! ENERGETIC! recently I started to teach him how to fetch.

 

[Pariah Dog]

I had a strange encounter with a magpie a few weeks back that I think I only realized the potential implications of today.

I was working on the mechanical systems of a high rise building in the down town core of the city I live in. My work truck was parked up against a small concrete wall that divides the parking lot from the alley. The wall is about 3ft tall. I was loading up tools and equipment in my truck and a magpie jumps up on the wall. It is looking at me and making chattering "talking" sounds like a parrot would. I didn't even know they could do that. It would occasionally jump down out of sight and then back up again, only about 6ft away from me. When I had finished loading the truck I leaned over the wall to see what it was doing. It was eating a squished sandwich in the alley. Not at all afraid of me as I leaned over top of it. It would take a bite and casually look up at me.

This made me curious as to why it was trying to get my attention. It never signaled anything like "get away from my sandwich" which the bird would be obviously hostile. Would it offer to share food? (not that I'm interested in some nasty old squished sandwich in an alley ). They are supposed to be highly intelligent so who is to know what motive it had.

Now, I think it would be ridiculous to imagine it is the same bird who I helped get a sandwich from a container a few years back. It is a funny thought though. I helped a magpie get a sandwhich, so I am in turn being offered a sandwich a magpie had found.

 

[Gracey]

Happy Birthday

Whether or not that is in fact what the bird was doing is anyone's guess

I don't have any studies of intelligence or memory measures on a magpie to know if that was possible.

It's certainly a nice thought though

 

[Streetwise]

I had a strange encounter with a magpie a few weeks back that I think I only realized the potential implications of today.

I was working on the mechanical systems of a high rise building in the down town core of the city I live in. My work truck was parked up against a small concrete wall that divides the parking lot from the alley. The wall is about 3ft tall. I was loading up tools and equipment in my truck and a magpie jumps up on the wall. It is looking at me and making chattering "talking" sounds like a parrot would. I didn't even know they could do that. It would occasionally jump down out of sight and then back up again, only about 6ft away from me. When I had finished loading the truck I leaned over the wall to see what it was doing. It was eating a squished sandwich in the alley. Not at all afraid of me as I leaned over top of it. It would take a bite and casually look up at me.

This made me curious as to why it was trying to get my attention. It never signaled anything like "get away from my sandwich" which the bird would be obviously hostile. Would it offer to share food? (not that I'm interested in some nasty old squished sandwich in an alley ). They are supposed to be highly intelligent so who is to know what motive it had.

Now, I think it would be ridiculous to imagine it is the same bird who I helped get a sandwich from a container a few years back. It is a funny thought though. I helped a magpie get a sandwhich, so I am in turn being offered a sandwich a magpie had found.

 

[Tom]

Something (mouse or vole, etc) was stuck inside a wall in the basement. My dogs kept on going to the spot, and I heard the scratching. So I made a hole in the wall for it to escape.

 

[Pariah Dog]

Thank you for the birthday wishes

 

[Streetwise]

Thank you for the birthday wishes

You're most welcome

 

[DuckRabbit]

I spotted an earthworm crossing a busy cycle path. I went back and used a twig to lift it off the path. I don't know if it was on its way somewhere but it looked vulnerable and unnatural, exposed on the path. I put it under some leaves to the side of the path in the wet grass and hoped it went underground. Hope the ground wasn't too wet.

 

[Judge]

Every Christmas I bring my cousin's two dogs some real beef jerky...made in the USA. They get plenty of treats and toys year round, but I still like to include them at Christmas too.

Not to mention I always enjoy feeding them goodies anyways.

 

[DuckRabbit]

You'd think it was a law to provide all animals with shelter. Not so, apparently, in France where horses, donkeys, cows etc are left out in the field, come rain, wind or shine. I encountered a donkey that was kept alone in a field just to keep the grass cut - its hooves too long, a cloud of flies around its eyes, nowhere to shelter from the heat or rain or anyone wanting to gawp at him. Everyday I walked to his field to give him an apple - just to take him out of himself for a few minutes of his long, boring, lonely day - give him some social stimulation. I stroked him and talked to him and chased the flies away for a few minutes. He came to lick my hand with his fat pink tongue, like a dog .

The height of civilisation is a country where: (1) animals have to be provided with protection from the elements and the public gaze (people can't live in a 'fishbowl' and no animal should be made to either); (2) birds not allowed to be tethered (I saw this too in France cf. the UK prohibits the tethering of birds and cats); (3) an RSPCA helpline exists that you can phone to report any suspected animal cruelty or neglect; (4) hunting is outlawed; (5) puppy farms are outlawed; (6) the government subsidises animal sterilisation (and human sterilisation as well in cases of babies born with drug addiction or foetal alcohol syndrome, and multiple children taken into foster care).

 

[Streetwise]

You'd think it was a law to provide all animals with shelter. Not so, apparently, in France where horses, donkeys, cows etc are left out in the field, come rain, wind or shine. I encountered a donkey that was kept alone in a field just to keep the grass cut - its hooves too long, a cloud of flies around its eyes, nowhere to shelter from the heat or rain or anyone wanting to gawp at him. Everyday I walked to his field to give him an apple - just to take him out of himself for a few minutes of his long, boring, lonely day - give him some social stimulation. I stroked him and talked to him and chased the flies away for a few minutes. He came to lick my hand with his fat pink tongue, like a dog .

The height of civilisation is a country where: (1) animals have to be provided with protection from the elements and the public gaze (people can't live in a 'fishbowl' and no animal should be made to either); (2) birds not allowed to be tethered (I saw this too in France cf. the UK prohibits the tethering of birds and cats); (3) an RSPCA helpline exists that you can phone to report any suspected animal cruelty or neglect; (4) hunting is outlawed; (5) puppy farms are outlawed; (6) the government subsidises animal sterilisation (and human sterilisation as well in cases of babies born with drug addiction or foetal alcohol syndrome, and multiple children taken into foster care).

The problem is even in the UK people still disobey the law just because there are laws doesn't say they are implemented the RSPCA prosecute people who don't disobey the law and contrary to the erroneous impression they give their euthanise cats who are healthy

 

[DuckRabbit]

The problem is even in the UK people still disobey the law just because there are laws doesn't say they are implemented the RSPCA prosecute people who don't disobey the law and contrary to the erroneous impression they give their euthanise cats who are healthy

Yes, lots wrong with the RSPCA, I believe. Perhaps TV programmes on animal rescues create a misleading impression? Every so often I read about some RSPCA scandal. I was not singling out that organisation in particular. What I mean is some organisation one can phone to enforce the law against people abusing or neglecting animals.

Surely it's better to have a law than to not have a law? Obviously that's not going to cleanse the land of all undesirable behaviour but it at least signals a standard and an ethos.
Cf. until 2014, it was not deemed necessary to regard animals in France as sentient beings.
France finally upgrades animals from 'furniture' status
Having knocked France's treatment of animals on the whole, I know there are wonderful dog refuges in France and many people there are doing their best for animals. I just wish cats there had the same status as dogs...

 

[Streetwise]

Yes, lots wrong with the RSPCA, I believe. Perhaps TV programmes on animal rescues create a misleading impression? Every so often I read about some RSPCA scandal. I was not singling out that organisation in particular. What I mean is some organisation one can phone to enforce the law against people abusing or neglecting animals.

Surely it's better to have a law than to not have a law? Obviously that's not going to cleanse the land of all undesirable behaviour but it at least signals a standard and an ethos.
Cf. until 2014, it was not deemed necessary to regard animals in France as sentient beings.
France finally upgrades animals from 'furniture' status
Having knocked France's treatment of animals on the whole, I know there are wonderful dog refuges in France and many people there are doing their best for animals. I just wish cats there had the same status as dogs...

I should've been more exact I presume people know what I'm thinking I was alluding to the fact that just because France doesn't have laws to protect animals doesn't mean countries that do are necessarily any more moral

 

[Pariah Dog]

You'd think it was a law to provide all animals with shelter. Not so, apparently, in France where horses, donkeys, cows etc are left out in the field, come rain, wind or shine. I encountered a donkey that was kept alone in a field just to keep the grass cut - its hooves too long, a cloud of flies around its eyes, nowhere to shelter from the heat or rain or anyone wanting to gawp at him. Everyday I walked to his field to give him an apple - just to take him out of himself for a few minutes of his long, boring, lonely day - give him some social stimulation. I stroked him and talked to him and chased the flies away for a few minutes. He came to lick my hand with his fat pink tongue, like a dog .

The height of civilisation is a country where: (1) animals have to be provided with protection from the elements and the public gaze (people can't live in a 'fishbowl' and no animal should be made to either); (2) birds not allowed to be tethered (I saw this too in France cf. the UK prohibits the tethering of birds and cats); (3) an RSPCA helpline exists that you can phone to report any suspected animal cruelty or neglect; (4) hunting is outlawed; (5) puppy farms are outlawed; (6) the government subsidises animal sterilisation (and human sterilisation as well in cases of babies born with drug addiction or foetal alcohol syndrome, and multiple children taken into foster care).

That is really nice what you did for the donkey. It is sad how sub par the rights on animals can be. I believe we are only going to see those rights slid backwards as civilization seems to be moving toward a dark age.

I agree with all your 6 points except the hunting one. I believe eating meat is part of what we are and hunting has always been part of our existence. Besides, many animals eat other animals for sustenance, it is just nature. When you consider the conditions many farms animals live in, especially the factory farmed animals living in holocaust conditions, hunting can actually be more humane. That animal you hunted got to live a free natural life until the moment it met it's hopefully pretty quick demise.